Chapter 684 Purchase of ships from the four countries on the east coast
It's just that this cruiser is much more expensive. The four countries on the east coast are poor. Most of their military expenditures have to be spent on the army. There is really not much money that can be spent on the navy, so it is very troublesome to talk about it.
The Daheng Empire Arms Trading Company initially showed them the '9,000-ton high-freeboard armored cruiser' designed and built for the Orr Kingdom, which was also the 'Garin-class armored cruiser' ordered by the Orr Kingdom, with slight modifications.
The people from the four countries on the east coast were very satisfied, but when I asked about the price, they shook their heads and left. This thing actually costs 4 million yuan!
Poor, can't afford it!
The person in charge of the Daheng Arms Trading Company saw that this was not going to work. If it continued like this, he might scare people away, so he stopped asking for designs and directly asked you what your budget is. We will design a warship specifically for you based on your budget.
Don’t worry, our Daheng people’s level of designing warships is just up to date. We have designed many warships specifically for foreign trade in recent years.
The joint representatives of the four east coast countries calculated on their fingers and said that our budget is only 6 million yuan, but we hope to obtain at least two battleships so that we can form the most basic tactical formation.
If there is a battleship, if it needs maintenance, there will be no battleship to hold the place.
If it's six million, that's three million ships.
The person in charge of Daheng Arms Trading Company said no problem!
Then Daheng Arms Trading Company found the three major arms companies and the Naval Ship Administration Department: People from the four countries on the east coast said that it would cost 6 million to build two battleships. Come up with the design quickly. The God of Wealth is still waiting.
Moreover, this is the first time in the history of the Daheng Empire that it is possible to sell its battleships to countries other than the Kingdom of Orr. The trading company hopes to get off to a good start and secure more battleship orders for the future!
In this regard, the warship designers of the Naval Administration Department are also in a dilemma!
Because at the price of contemporary battleships, it is already difficult to buy an advanced battleship of too large a tonnage for three million.
The Orr people ordered the Endless Sea-class improved battleship from Daheng. The initial contract was for a standard displacement of 10,500 tons, equipped with four 300mm thirty-time caliber naval guns (Cole gun mount, one every two minutes).
(fired), multiple 150mm single-mounted artillery (non-rapid-fire guns, one shot per minute on the Cole gun mount), a new power system, the battleship's speed can reach 16 knots, and the strong winds will be higher. This battleship costs 470
One hundred thousand Hengyuan.
Later, due to the outbreak of the Battle of Ian, the Orr Kingdom proposed to modify the design, changing the low freeboard to high freeboard to adapt to ocean operations, and increasing the number of secondary guns to fight against torpedo boats. For this reason, the tonnage increased to 12,000 tons, and the selling price was also
It rose to 5.4 million.
The Galin-class armored cruiser is also designed for the Orians. It has a standard displacement of 9,000 tons and is equipped with the top medium-caliber main gun in the Daheng Empire, which is a 200 mm 40 times caliber naval gun. Although this gun is still
It is not a rapid-fire cannon, but it is also equipped with hydraulic thrust. It is a semi-rapid-firing cannon. At the same time, it is equipped with a specially designed bomb hoist. The rate of fire can reach one round per minute. This is basically a medium- and large-caliber semi-rapid-firing cannon.
It's the limit.
The price of the ship is 4 million yuan!
Therefore, it is already difficult to buy a battleship of too large a tonnage for three million yuan per ship, but this does not mean that it cannot be built!
As for the specific design and construction, what else can be done to reduce the tonnage!
When it comes to warships, you get what you pay for. To put it bluntly, today’s large-tonnage warships are sold based on their displacement!
For example, the improved high-freeboard version of the Endless Sea battleship and the Galin armored cruiser that are being negotiated with the Orians are basically 450 yuan per ton.
According to the standards of the Galin-class armored cruiser, these three million yuan can actually build a 6,600-ton armored cruiser!
The only problem is how to achieve sufficient protection, firepower and the power they value more in a tonnage of more than 6,000 tons to meet the basic requirements of the four countries on the east coast.
These paupers not only want two battleships, but also require good performance. Even the main guns are designated with 200 mm and 40 times caliber naval guns. The armor also needs steel-faced iron armor, and the speed must be twenty knots.
The endurance is at least 6,000 nautical miles.
Just look at the power requirements and you will know that they are planning to use this armored cruiser to break the relationship!
This is not a low requirement!
But none of this troubles Daheng’s battleship designers!
Based on the foreign trade Galin-class armored cruiser, they carried out downsizing and equipped it with two, one and three 200mm 40 times main guns at the front and rear, and then they fiddled with seven or eight 150mm secondary guns, and then got a
There are a lot of small-caliber machine guns, but the internal magazine and bomb hoist are just barely enough.
The armor protection also seems to have an armor box, and the thickest part is also very thick. And because of the limited tonnage, the armor is generally thin. In order to improve the protection capability, designers used an inclination design on the side armor to increase protection.
Effect.
The speed is also 20 knots, the endurance is 7,000 nautical miles and 10 knots, and the power data is also the most eye-catching feature of this ship!
There are not many battleships these days that can reach a speed of twenty knots. Many newly launched second-class cruisers can only reach a speed of about eighteen knots. Only some of the most cutting-edge cruisers can reach a speed of twenty knots.
How should I put it? The ship uses a considerable amount of tonnage on the power system.
The protection concept of this armored cruiser actually follows the key protection concept of the Chongke-class armored cruiser, which is also a key protection concept commonly used by armored cruisers from other countries. However, what is more special is the use of tilted armor to resist resistance.
Ordinary armor-piercing bullets are very effective.
As for being unable to stop the battleship, that is for sure. Even the thick hardened armor of the Fengyang-class armored cruiser cannot stop the Jingzhou-class battleship’s 300 mm 35-fold main gun paired with smokeless gunpowder and the risk of being exposed.
Bombardment by armor-piercing projectiles.
But armored cruisers are not used to compete head-on with battleships. In many countries, armored cruisers are specially used to break diplomatic ties. Even if they are displayed in the battleship fleet, they are only used as auxiliary battleship fleets and used as high-speed guerrilla formations.
What the four countries on the east coast want is an armored cruiser that is purely for breaking traffic. They have no intention of relying on two armored cruisers to fight in line with a powerful naval power. They will die miserably in that case.
As a destroyer, its firepower and protection are better than those of a cruiser. The focus is on speed and endurance!
The 20-knot speed and 7,000 nautical miles endurance of this class ship can undoubtedly meet the needs of breaking diplomatic ties, and the endurance even exceeds the needs of the four countries on the east coast.
Although the final designed tonnage exceeded 6,000 tons, reaching 7,000 tons, the price also exceeded the standard, reaching 3.15 million yuan per ship.
However, after seeing the general design, the naval generals in the delegation from the four countries on the east coast were extremely satisfied and insisted that this was the warship that the East Coast Alliance needed most!
Although the price is a bit higher than the standard, it is still within their affordable range!
They gritted their teeth, shamelessly cut the price of 100,000 yuan, and finally signed the contract!
6.2 million yuan was spent to order two armored cruisers, which they clearly called "Bugir Armored Cruisers".
This is also the first time that the Daheng Empire has exported large-tonnage battleships to a country other than the Orr Kingdom!